Psalm 119Orientation

I recently heard someone say, “We live in the age of TGIF”. And he wasn’t referring to the sigh of relief associated with the long-awaited weekend after a busy and draining week at the office. He was refering to Twitter, Google, Instagram, and Facebook. If the result of a new study by Microsoft Corp. is true, the average attention span of our species has now fallen to 8 seconds, thanks to our excessive use of smartphones and constantly being distracted by multiple streams of media. Apparently, that is 1 second less than the attention span of goldfish! That spells trouble not only for every preacher on Sunday morning but also for every reader of this psalm which sits like a Mount Everest right in the centre of our Bibles.

What is most unexpected here is its singular theme, despite its length. I can’t recount ever hearing such an extensive ode of love and appreciation and enjoyment of God’s Word and commandments in any other piece of literature. It reminds me of a line in a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, where a Lover is addressed by his Beloved saying, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!”

I believe unless we personally embrace that same posture of love that the Psalmist had, rooted in a deep and rich reflection of the many ways and repeated times God has opened our eyes, calmed our fears, corrected our stubborn ways, and led us onto a better path than the one we would have chosen, we will neither understand nor treasure the Lord’s speaking into our lives like He does. We won’t taste and enjoy the rich feast that is laid out right before our eyes. We will miss out on the blessings that only those will reap who purposely seek the presence of our Heavenly Father and truest friend, those who have learned to trust His wisdom and guidance in all areas of life.

Yes, it takes quite a bit of time, effort and concentration to meditate on God’s Word in this way, but if we are motivated by a desire to be shaped and changed by it, the rewards are priceless and lasting! Why not take a new step of discovery today and be surprised by what we find!